


Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

by KnutThorson



Category: In Nomine, The War at Home
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-05 03:20:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15855177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnutThorson/pseuds/KnutThorson
Summary: Wulfric is given the opportunity to see the future, which is not as uncommon as one might think.





	Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, since you ask, I did just finish reading UNSONG.
> 
> I have a great respect for and interest in Kabbalah and Jewish mystical traditions generally, but as an atheist gentile, I'm counting on my friends to let me know if I fail to treat the subject matter as respectfully as I should. Also, any help with my gematric equations would be welcome. (:

Wulfric noticed the moth just as he was about to take a seat in his Lyft*, and was careful to avoid looking at it. The moth had landed on the windshield and was walking in a haphazard path towards the hood of the car, and its movement caught Wulfric's eye, in part, because of the spiders. The car—which had clearly not had a wash in quite some time—had a number of spiders on it. They had set up shop along the bottom of the windshield, and some of them were as large as the moth itself. It was very clear that the moth was either going to stumble catastrophically into a web and die, or else wind a path around each trap and escape through sheer luck. In other words, it was an omen.

An omen, or prophecy, is a preview of an upcoming measure of God's Celestial Symphony, like a reverse-echo of reality. There is a lot of high-level disagreement about whether or not and to what extent the Celestial Symphony is can be changed**, but there is no question that it is extremely hard to do so after receiving an omen. Trying to change the future after having witnessed a prophecy is like trying to write a song after listening to a particularly catchy pop hit. No matter how original you try to be, it keeps turning into "Call me, maybe".

However, there is a loophole: an unwitnessed Prophecy isn't prophetic. If a star falls in the forest and no one is around to interpret it, the future is not bound. Therefore, any unpleasant augury can be negated (or at least made open to negotiation) by avoiding its revelation. If you're fast enough, this can be as simple as shutting your eyes and blocking out the sound. "If you are willing to accept it... He who has ears to hear, let him hear," as the Man said. If you aren't willing to accept it, ear plugs and blindfolds should do the trick.

The key skill was to be discriminating about which prophetic revelations you witnessed without being the sort of person that has to wear a tinfoil hat to work***. There was a knack to sensing a proper Prophetic revelation and then being able to determine in a matter of seconds whether or not to bear witness. Wulfric had had several years to hone these instincts and was quite good at failing to bear witness to unpleasant revelations.

In Hebrew, "עָשׁ," the word for moth, has the same gematric value (370) as "משל," which means "a parable", and "וישמחו" meaning "rejoice". Spider ("עַכָּבִישׁ") has a kabbalistic value of 402, the same as "בקש", "a request" and "מלאך רפאל", the Archangel Raphael. Raphael was in charge of healing and of journeys, but he was also Jean's predecessor—the original Archangel of Knowledge.

So if the moth had been captured, then perhaps it would mean that the journey would consume the story. Wulfric was ok with that. He wasn't especially interested in travel, but there were worse prophecies. On the other hand, what if the moth escaped? Would this mean that Allegory was beyond the reach of Knowledge? An unfulfilling journey, that leads not to enlightenment, but to spiritual hunger? "REJOICE REQUEST: REVOKED"? That would be bad, indeed. Understanding allegory was Wulfric's day job these days, and he did not like the idea of letting that slip away from him.

All in all, it probably wasn't worth the risk. Of course, it might prophesy something quite different, something wonderful, or nothing at all—there was no way to know for sure. But Wulfric decided to play it safe. He climbed into the passenger seat, still without looking at the glass, and reached over to trigger a jet of washer fluid and a flurry of windshield wipers. The driver was understandably annoyed with him, but Wulfric's apology and the promise of a five-star rating**** set him more-or-less at ease, and the moth, the spiders, and the prophecy were all swept away unseen.

 

 

*Of the two ride-sharing companies prominent in Chicago, Wulfric generally preferred to use Lyft. His research suggested that Lyft was associated with the eighth sephirot, Hod (which gets its name from בְהוד, "to lift oneself up"). Hod is one of the two sephirot of locomotion—a good sign for a ride-sharing service—and symbolizes the rational intellect, which Wulfric appreciates.

Über, on the other hand, has obvious associations with the first of the sephira, Kether. It sits above the others and is known as Elyon (meaning Most High). This is also reflected in Über's logo, the letter כּ, which is also associated with Kether. Über was the first ride-share company in Chicago, so it is appropriate that, through Kether, it is associated with the Primum Mobile. However, this sephira is mainly seen as "the most hidden of all hidden things," the "primal stirrings of intent," and "the air that cannot be grasped".

None of which indicates "reliable transportation" to Wulfric.

 

**Hard-liners on one side claim that even God is incapable of altering a single note after it has been written. Wulfric, at the far end of the other side, claims that he could re-write the whole thing, given time—just watch him.

 

***Which would be a terrible idea, in any event. The fifth planetary metal, Iron, with its attunement to Mars and the association of Resistance would be a much better choice. Knowledgeable kooks wear iron foil hats.

 

  
**** c.f. Jung's commentary on the [Rosarium Philosophorum](https://symbolreader.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/rs01.jpg), "there is a fifth star which represents the fifth entity, the 'One' derived from the four, the quinta essentia". See also the fifth star of the Chicago flag, believed to have apocalyptic properties.

 


End file.
